Intermediate · Grammar Reference
Unit 11 — Noun Phrases and Articles
noun phrases · articles · possessives · all/every · reflexive pronouns
11.1 Noun phrases
A noun phrase is a group of words including a noun.
| Type | Examples |
|---|
| Noun alone | book |
| Noun phrase | a book · my book · this book · some books · the book that I was reading · my favourite cook book |
Grammatically speaking, the words before a noun in a noun phrase are:
- articles — the, a/an
- possessives — my, your, his, her…
- demonstratives — this, that, these, those
- determiners — some, any, all, each, every…
- relative pronouns — who, that, which…
- compound nouns — notebook, address book…
11.2 Articles
Indefinite articles a/an
- To say what something or somebody is: This is a book. I'm an optimist.
- To refer to a thing or person for the first time: She lives in a farmhouse.
- To refer to a thing or person when it doesn't matter which one: Can you lend me a pen?
- One can be used instead of a/an if it's important to specify the number.
Definite article the
- To refer to a person or thing known to both speaker and listener: The children are in the garden.
- To refer to a person or thing for the second time: I got a book and a computer. The book is about politics.
- When it is clear which one we mean: I'm going to the shops.
- To refer to the only one there is: The sky is grey. The Earth is round.
- With superlatives: You're the best teacher.
- With some place names: the United States, the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids
Zero article (–)
- To refer to things or people in general: I like (–) cheese. I'm afraid of (–) dogs.
- Common phrases — places: at (–) work / home / school / university / bed / hospital
- Travel: I travel by (–) car / bus / train.
- Meals: We had (–) lunch at 12.00.
- Academic subjects: I'm not good at (–) maths.
- Games: I like (–) chess.
- Some place names: (–) Europe, (–) Hyde Park, (–) Oxford University
11.3 Possessives
Possessive adjectives and pronouns
| Adjective | Pronoun |
|---|
| 1st person sing. | my | mine |
| 2nd person | your | yours |
| 3rd person sing. | his / her / its | his / hers |
| 1st person pl. | our | ours |
| 2nd/3rd pl. | your / their | yours / theirs |
Apostrophe 's and s'
- 's is used with singular nouns: Lorna's dog · Harry's girlfriend · the boy's father
- s' is used with regular plural nouns: my parents' house · the boys' father
- For irregular plurals use 's: the children's room
- 's is used with some places: the chemist's · the hairdresser's · a newsagent's
11.4 all and every
All can be used in different ways:
| Pattern | Example |
|---|
| all + noun | All men are born equal. I like all kinds of music. |
| all + of + noun | I invited all of the students in my class. |
| all + adjective/adverb/preposition | I'm all wet. She lives all alone. |
| pronoun + all | The sweets are for everyone. Don't eat them all. |
| all + verb | My friends all love you. We have all been to university. |
Every is used with a singular noun: Every student in the class passed the exam.
📌 Note
Use
everybody / everyone / everything (not
all) to mean all people/things:
Everybody came to the party. NOT
All came.11.5 themselves and each other
Reflexive pronouns
myselfyourselfhimselfherselfitselfourselvesyourselvesthemselves
- Used when the subject and object are the same: I cut myself shaving. Make yourselves at home.
- Often used after prepositions: I can look after myself. She looked at herself in the mirror.
- Used for emphasis: Did you like the cake? I made it myself!
each other
Each other expresses the idea of one to another.
They looked at each other. We send each other birthday cards.